opposing sexism and misogyny in Australia

A second man has been charged in relation to the death of a woman in Australia in 2017.

Ben Ivanoff, a 77 year old man, has been charged with the murder of his 74 year old wife Leonne Ivanoff.

It is alleged that on 8 January 2017, Ben stabbed his wife in neck following an argument at their NSW Umina Beach home in which she apparently laughed at his allegation that she was having an affair.

The police are reported to have said that there was no history of violence in the 55 year relationship but that it had more recently broken down in response to the victim’s “bickering and nagging”.

These are allegations about the victim’s behaviour which she is not able to dispute, and which would not justify her murder even if they were correct. That a victim’s behaviour, rather than the alleged murderer’s, is under scrutiny illustrates how male violence against women is still perceived, reported and justified.

Ben will apparently not be eligible for Legal Aid in future, based on his diagnosis of dementia.

At the end of 2016, approximately 92% of the perpetrators charged with the murder, manslaughter or otherwise in relation to the death of women in Australia in 2016 were male. Where perpetrators were identified, 94% of women were killed by male perpetrators (91%) or male and female perpetrators. Only 6% of women’s deaths were caused by women acting alone.

We report the deaths of women as accurately as possible, updating these records as we are able to. If we have misreported any facts of this case, please contact us. We do not wish to affect any future court actions and will not intentionally publish posts or comments which do this.

Please bear in mind cultural sensitivities when sharing these reports. Where it is not culturally or legally appropriate to do so, we will not report the victim’s name.